The air transport of cargo presents unique safety concerns in that forced landings, in-flight turbulence or a crash can cause the cargo within the plane to shift with incredible force creating a huge strain on the cargo restraints. If the restraints fail, the cargo may strike the bulkhead separating the cargo compartment from the pilot, passenger or aircrew compartments with a force substantial enough to cause a failure of the bulkhead thereby compounding the dilemma and endangering the safety of everyone on board.
Barrier nets are commonly used in aircraft to provide for some measure of energy absorption to hold cargo in place in the event of a hard landing or in-flight turbulence. These nets are placed between the cargo and the bulkheads which partition off the other compartments of the aircraft and are secured around their periphery to an aircraft frame at a series of tie-down points.
The cargo net material is usually either a nylon or polyester. Such materials are chosen because they elongate to distribute the applied loads evenly along the tie-down frame and provide a measure of energy absorption from shifting cargo. Stronger and lighter materials, such as Kevlar.RTM., although desirable for their strength and weight, lack the elastic qualities of nylon and polyester and are not considered practical materials for cargo nets because they do not evenly distribute the applied load throughout the net. Furthermore, if such materials are used, high point loads can be developed causing the tie-down end terminations to be stressed beyond their limits.
With weight being an important consideration in aircraft construction, the present invention is aimed at providing a cargo net that utilizes the strength and light weight of Kevlar.RTM. as well as the elongation and load distribution properties of nylon.